


You Explained the Infinite

by tomfoolery14



Series: Dialogue Prompts [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, M/M, Palm Reading, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 10:02:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomfoolery14/pseuds/tomfoolery14
Summary: from the dialogue prompt: "are you flirting with me?"set in the "this world inverted" verse





	You Explained the Infinite

“So, you’re a psychic?” Alec asked, leaning across the table with his chin resting on his knuckles.

“You could call it that,” Magnus replied carefully, offering a smile from behind the top of his menu. “I don’t read minds or anything, though.”

“That’s a relief.” Alec’s grin was boyish and light, and there was something delightful about it that caught Magnus off guard. “What all _do_ you do?”  His hazel eyes were wide in curiosity and warm with affection.

“Tarot mostly,” Magnus said with a shrug.

“Are you always this cryptic? Or just with me?” Despite the intention of his words, Alec’s expression remained playful.

Magnus was quiet for a moment. He hadn’t realized he was being a bit short, though he was used to keeping secrets after spending years masquerading as a mortal. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this.” Even though he excluded the extent to which the statement applied, it was the closest to the truth he could offer at the moment.

“I understand.” Alec’s tone was rife with sincerity. “No pressure, okay?” He picked up his glass of wine and held it out to Magnus. “One day at a time.”

Magnus touched Alec’s glass with his own, a delicate _clink_ sounding. “One day at a time.”

The walk home from dinner was quiet; they talked through much of it, but it was timid conversation. They were still feeling each other out, and for Magnus, it was about learning how to get close to someone again at all.

“This is me,” Magnus said as they slowed to a stop out front of his apartment building.

Leaning casually across the railing of the steps, Alec murmured, “Can I see you again?”

He was very forward, and Magnus found that he quite liked that about him. “Definitely,” he found himself saying as he started up the steps. He was halfway up when he stopped and turned to face Alec. “In fact, would you like to come inside for a bit? I was thinking of making some tea.”

“I’d like that.”

As Magnus unlocked the door, he inconspicuously waved his hand, sending a pulse of magic through the apartment to straighten anything left out of place. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d brought anyone home, even for something as innocent as a drink after a first date. 

“Make yourself at home,” he said to Alec, flicking on the lights and shrugging off his coat.

“You have a lovely home.” Awkwardly holding his own coat in his hands, Alec looked at the rows of books lining the shelves on the nearest wall and the décor neatly arranged in the gaps.

“Thank you; it’s a bit old fashioned I suppose, but that’s me,” Magnus chuckled, carefully taking Alec’s coat and setting it over the chair by the reading table.

Alec laughed warmly, running his fingers along the spines of the books until he reached the next shelf. Instead of touching bound leather and delicate paper, he was now touching glass jars and soft canvas bags. “This is a bit new-agey though.”

“My work ingredients.” Magnus’s fingers twitched reflexively as Alec probed the items gently. He was used to hurrying to hide himself, rushing to keep people out for their own safety. But oddly enough, he didn’t want to shut Alec out yet.

“What is it you do that requires ingredients? Do you make potions?” Alec teased, sniffing one of the bags of dried cypress leaves.

“I can’t reveal all my secrets, Alec,” Magnus replied evasively, fingering the tarot card box he’d left lying on the table.

Alec took notice, and moved closer to him. “Maybe I should see you sometime for a reading.”

“I read palms too, in very special cases,” Magnus replied, sitting down in his seat at the reading table and holding out his hands to Alec.

With a smirk, Alec sat across from him and set the backs of his hands in Magnus’ palms, offering them up for scrutiny.

Magnus began carefully mapping the lines that trailed across his hands. “This line here at the top of your hand is your heart line. See where it starts in about the middle of your forefinger? That means that you’re particular when it comes to love. It’s a bit long with a slight curve in it which means you’re more inclined to express your emotions. And these little lines that cross through it some of these places indicate you’ve experienced some emotional ordeals.”

Moving on to the line just below, Magnus traced it slowly. “This is your head line. Yours is quite deep and defined, which means you’re sensible and have good concentration and memory. It’s relatively long which means you’re a focused person who succeeds at many of your endeavors, but with a tendency for selfishness on occasion. It’s quite straight as well, meaning you’re realistic and logical in your thoughts, organized, and pay great attention to detail. Your head line begins here, with your life line, which means you’re very strong willed.”

Trailing his thumb over to the line just below, Magnus continued. “Your life line is deep which indicates a smooth path for your life. It’s also, long, deep, and a bit curved which speaks to your stamina, verve, and wealth of energy, and that semicircle of the curve again speaks to your strength and passion.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Alec purred, and when Magnus looked up at him to reply, he was momentarily struck by the warm hazel eyes he found himself drowning in. They were warm and inviting, and for a moment Magnus couldn’t entertain the notion of looking away.

“I’m just the messenger,” he forced himself to reply before looking back down. “And lastly, your fate line, which is just here.” Magnus moved over to the line just to the left of the head line. “It’s deep, which indicates that fate has an important place in your life; an extraordinary plan for you. The line starts here, with the life line, which says that you’re fiercely independent in your endeavors, creating yourself starting at an early age. You don’t have any breaks or changes really, which means that your course is relatively set and external forces won’t be swaying you from your life’s direction.”

Alec was quiet for a moment before he whispered, “Thank you.”

Magnus nodded wordlessly, a faint smile on his lips, and inexplicably, he found himself moving closer to Alec. His lips were parted slightly, and he made no move to pull away. “May I?” Magnus asked softly, breath ghosting across Alec’s skin.

“Please,” Alec replied.

When their lips touched, Magnus felt a million things at once. Flowers blooming in his chest. Fireworks exploding in his stomach. Warmth like the sun radiating out from behind his ribcage. It was exquisite and so utterly right, and all of a sudden it made sense why he’d been alone for so very long.

Parting slowly, eyes closed, Magnus reveled in the feeling for a moment longer, clinging to it for dear life.

“We forgot about the tea,” Alec said breathlessly, and when Magnus opened his eyes, he found that Alec was smiling too, easy and familiar.

**Author's Note:**

> come find me at champagnemagnus.tumblr.com!


End file.
